Our website uses cookies to improve your user experience. If you continue browsing, we assume that you consent to our use of cookies. More information can be found in our Cookies Policy and Privacy
Policy.

New Balance eyes awareness and sales boost with Liverpool deal

New Balance is making its first branded play in football as it takes over from subsidiary Warrior Sports as official kit supplier for Liverpool Football Club’s 2015/2016 season, a “record-breaking” deal that coincides with the launch of the brand’s first soccer business.

In a multi-year partnership, the Boston-based sports apparel manufacturer will sell items in New Balance stores worldwide as it becomes kit and training apparel designer for the club.

While the company initially entered the soccer arena when Warrior, which it bought in 2004, agreed a six-year kit deal with Liverpool in 2012, this is the first football play for the New Balance brand as it looks to push its entry into the market, also announcing yesterday (4 January) that it will launch a soccer business under the New Balance name.

Billy Hogan, chief commercial officer for Liverpool FC, told Marketing Week that the deal will build on the success the club saw through its partnership with Warrior.

“We’ve had a great three years with Warrior and have set records in terms of numbers of kits sold,” Hogan says. “However, as New Balance has looked at entering the world of football, it made sense to bring it all under the New Balance umbrella and brand.”

Hogan also says the club will benefit from kit distribution through New Balance’s global store network and its “global footprint”, something they didn’t have with Warrior. Meanwhile, New Balance will be looking to tap into new markets through the football club’s global reach, particularly in southeast Asia.

Along with the kit deal, New Balance’s new football business with include brand, footwear and apparel campaigns featuring sponsored athletes, with the brand stating it will bring an “original approach to the way football boots and technical wear are designed and manufactured”.

Campaigns will also launch to support not only New Balance’s deal with Liverpool FC, but also Stoke City, FC Porto and Sevilla, all of whom have until now been sponsored by Warrior Sports.

Meanwhile, Warrior Sports will continue to exist, but will push its focus on hockey and lacrosse.

The Liverpool partnership is a continuation of New Balance’s relationship with Fenway Sports Group (FSG), who not only own Liverpool FC but also the Boston Red Sox, who New Balance also sponsor.

New Balance has seen sales growth in recent years, with sales up 17% annually since 2010 to reach $3.3bn last year, according to Forbes. International revenues were also up by more than 25% a year.

It still has a long way to go in the UK in terms of awareness, however – New Balance ranks twelfth on YouGov’s BrandIndex overall brand health score, sitting not only below top ranking adidas and Nike, but also the likes of Reebok, Puma and Lacoste.

When New Balance launches its new advertising campaign in the UK later this month, it will mark a relaunch of the athletics brand’s marketing in Europe and the first outward signs that it is evolving. Historically, the brand has taken a low-level approach to marketing, using endorsements rather than the high-profile sponsorships or TV ads […]

Athletics brand New Balance has appointed Phd to handle its global media planning and buying, as it prepares to undergo a major relaunch. The Omnicom-owned age­ncy joins sister agency BBDO on the roster. The appointment marks the first time the brand has commissioned a media or advertising agency. BBDO won the global creative business earlier […]

Marriott has spent more than two years on the launch of its new loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy as it looks to align the more than 30 brands in its offering and get people considering one of its hotels more often.

NOT REGISTERED? IT'S FREE, QUICK AND EASY!

Already a member?

Sign in

Register and receive the best content from the only UK title 100% dedicated to serving marketers' needs.

We’ll ask you just a few questions about what you do and where you work. The more we know about our visitors, the better and more relevant content we can provide for them. And, yes, knowing our audience better helps us find commercial partners too. Don't worry, we won't share your information with other parties, unless you give us permission to do so.

THE BEST CONTENT

Our award winning editorial team (PPA Digital Brand of the Year) ask the big questions about the biggest issues on everything from strategy through to execution to help you navigate the fast moving modern marketing landscape.

THE BIGGEST ISSUES

From the opportunities and challenges of emerging technology to the need for greater effectiveness, from the challenge of measurement to building a marketing team fit for the future, we are your guide.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Information, inspiration and advice from the marketing world and beyond that will help you develop as a marketer and as a leader.

Type anything and hit “enter”

Sign in

Not registered yet?

Register and receive the best content from the only UK title 100% dedicated to serving marketers' needs.

We’ll ask you just a few questions about what you do and where you work. The more we know about our visitors, the better and more relevant content we can provide for them. And, yes, knowing our audience better helps us find commercial partners too. Don't worry, we won't share your information with other parties, unless you give us permission to do so.